Turkey asks Georgia to lift trade obstacles

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Ceml Çiçek (R) meets with Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili (L). AA photo

A meeting between Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek and Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili offered a chance to the former to voice his unease over difficulties faced by Turkish businesspeople in Georgia.

“We have deep historical and cultural ties with you and we attribute importance to this. Additionally, a lot of our businesspeople are serving as a bridge for welfare and improvement of Georgia,” Çiçek said Feb. 14 during a meeting with a visiting delegation led by Ivanishvili.

“We know our businesspeople have been encountering a lot of difficulties. Therefore, if these obstacles are lifted under your administration it will also be in your favor,” Çiçek told the Georgian prime minister w, without elaborating on what those difficulties were exactly.

While recalling that trade volume between the two countries was around $1.5 billion with Turkey being Georgia’s number one commercial partner, Ivanishvili tried to soothe Çiçek’s concerns. “I will do my best to encourage Turkish businesspeople to invest [in Georgia],” he said.